On Whether He Would Resign, Railway Minister Has This To Say

Railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a high-level committee has been declared to conduct an inquiry into the train accident in Odisha's Balasore that left 238 people.

He said that the Commissioner of Railway Safety has been called and a probe will be held by him as well to try and identify the root cause of the accident.

The entire focus now is on the rescue operation, he also added.

"Our prayers go out to the families and the souls of those who have died. Teams from the Railways, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and the state government have been engaged in rescue operations since last night," the minister said in a tweet in Hindi.

When asked about the Opposition demanding his resignation, he said that the focus now is on rescue operations.

Vaishnaw was the collector of Balasore in his first posting as an IAS officer. He said that work on restoration will begin as soon a the district administration gives clearance. On being asked if there was any negligence, he said that it would be known only after the inquiry is completed.

The accident took place at 7 pm on Friday when the Coromandel Express derailed and hit a goods train. Another passenger train, the Yeshvantpur-Howrah crashed into the derailed coaches.